As Camden police continue to search for the suspect in three assaults on young girls, they are calling on residents to help.
A dark minivan has been present at three separate attacks on young girls on Dec. 11, Nov. 11 and Oct. 16, a city police special victim’s unit sergeant said. In each incident the suspect has tried to force young girls into a van. The victims’ descriptions of the suspect vary widely so no sketch or description was available, police said.
The latest assault happened on Hayes Avenue between 32nd and 36th streets on Dec. 11 about 5:30 p.m. The suspect attempted to pull an 11-year-old girl into his van. The Camden Promise School student was able to escape. A previous attack occurred in the 1900 block of Mulford Street on Nov. 11. A 14-year-old girl was grabbed near Cream Elementary School and the suspect took her to the 1800 block of Mulford Street, where he sexually assaulted her in a yard, police said.
The first attack occurred at 8th and Everett streets on Oct. 16. A 14-year-old girl escaped the suspect near Sumner Elementary School.
Police believe the suspect may be the same in all of the assaults.
“The main thing we want to get out to the public is to be aware of a dark-colored minivan that may have tinted windows,” said police Sgt. Kurt Clauss. “We really need the cooperation of people to catch this guy.”
In addition to alerting the public, police have also increased patrols in the area of the attacks and put all school police units on alert, Clauss said.
“When I see little kids walking by themselves when their parents should be walking them and they know how the area is, I get upset,” said Mirna Hernandez, 32, mother of three children ranging in age from 8 to 15. “As soon as they get out of school, I’m here. I don’t let them out of my sight. I can’t.”
Hernandez, a Cramer Hill resident, said parents must balance between allowing their children a degree of freedom while protecting them from stranger danger.
She notices that other children are still standing out on the corner more than 30 minutes after being dismissed from school. She believes the parents of those children are neglecting their responsibility to protect their children.
Hernandez said she refuses to let her 10-year-old daughter walk home alone and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Carmen Agueda, 38, also of Cramer Hill, said, “I just hope they hurry up and catch who it is. It’s not a bad area. So now, you have some nut out here picking up little girls. I doubt he’s from this area.”
The fact that she has a son is no cause for less concern on her part, she said.
“Nowadays, they don’t really care if it’s a boy or girl,” Agueda said. “These pedophiles could care less.”
The latest abduction has made her more determined to keep up her guard as she always has.
She arranges for a family member to escort her 7-year-old son to and from school when she’s unable to do it herself. She never lets him play outside alone unless she can watch over him from the front porch.
Clauss said police units have alerted community watch groups to get the word out. The school district was among the first to be notified when police discovered the pattern after the November attacks, he said.
